Optical signal transmission may be used to communicate signals between separated integrated circuit chips to provide inter-chip connections and within components on the same integrated circuit chip to provide inter-chip connections. In many instances it is necessary to couple an external optical fiber to a photonic device, e.g., a waveguide, of an integrated circuit photonics chip. Such coupling requires precise optical alignment between the optical fiber and the photonic device.
In order to achieve such precise optical alignment, there have been proposed complex microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) which are built on an integrated circuit chip for optically aligning an optical fiber and photonic device. Complex MEMS structures, however, are expensive to implement and time-consuming to fabricate. In addition, a structure for aligning an optical fiber to a photonic device should account for alignment changes which may occur during use, for example, due to temperature changes or other perturbating influences which may occur. What is needed is a simple structure for optically aligning and maintaining optical alignment of an optical fiber to a photonic device on an integrated circuit chip.